A Mother's Story
by Risa1
Summary: Cole was not the first demon to fall in love - so did his mother. - Epilogue -
1. Chapter 1

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters from Charmed. This is just for entertainment purposes.

Summary: Cole was not the first demon to fall in love – so did his mother.

Author's Note: I was wondering about whether it was possible for a full demon to fall in love and this came out. Plus, I wanted to see if I could portray Cole's mother as something more complex than a bad, manipulative, evil demon. Also, I've chosen to refer to Cole's mother as Elizabeth to make things easier instead of coming up with a demonic name. I apologise if there are any errors and thank you for reading!

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Chapter 1

            Elizabeth walked into the ballroom, proud and confident. She knew that she looked beautiful and all the stares from the people there proved it. Not that their opinion mattered to her. She was superior to them. They were just mere humans that she could crush effortlessly. Tonight, only one human's opinion mattered.

            And that was only because she was on a mission.

            "Miss Lane!" a middle-aged woman dressed in green exclaimed. "Come, we _must introduce you to everyone here."_

            "Mrs Robertson," Elizabeth acknowledged with a smile and a nod. Mrs Robertson was the wife a rich banker and the type of woman who made gossiping her main occupation in life. Frankly, she couldn't stand them. But, it was only through her that she could meet him.

            After being steered around the room she finally got her chance.

            "And this is Mr Benjamin Turner," Mrs Robertson said, smiling brightly. Elizabeth looked at the tall man standing in front of her. He was better looking than she had expected. He had a face that showed a man who laughed and smiled often but it was his eyes that attracted her attention. Those chestnut brown eyes seemed to look through her. All the goodness in his character was reflected in those eyes. Elizabeth found them extremely unsettling but couldn't bring herself to look away.

            "And who is this angel that stands before me?" he asked playfully as he lifted her hand to his lips and gently kissed it.

            Elizabeth smiled at the irony. She was hardly an angel – the anathema to one actually. She was one of the demons who served the Brotherhood of the Thorn.

            Elizabeth had rose quickly within the demon ranks, taking just decades to reach a status that many other demons could only dream to reach or would take centuries to do it. She had served as an assassin, a spy, seducer… whatever was required of her. Then, not too long ago, she had received her latest assignment.

            She was about to start enjoying some well-deserved rest when Raynor had come to her quarters.

            "What are _you doing here?" she had asked irritably. _

            "The Source wants you to return to the human world," he had said. "You've been given a new assignment."

            "What now?" she said, sighing.

            "You are to kill a human called Benjamin Coleridge Turner."

            "And what's so special about this human?" Elizabeth had asked curiously.

            "The Source has received word that a descendent of this human would play a large role in the defeat of the Source. He doesn't want that to happen. So, you're to get rid of that human before he gets the chance to procreate."

            "That's putting it rather delicately," Elizabeth said sarcastically. "What sort of harm could a human pose to the Source?"

            "It is not up to you to question the Source," Raynor had said coldly. "You just have to follow orders."

            Elizabeth was annoyed but there was nothing she could do. Raynor was right, much as she hated to admit it. She could have easily killed the human, but Elizabeth decided that she might as well have some fun as she was doing it. After all, she had been cheated of vacation time. In any case, she was curious to see just what was so special about this human.

            "… Miss Lane is here with her uncle who is on business. They will be here for two months," Elizabeth's mind returned to what Mrs Robertson was saying. The woman glanced at Elizabeth mischievously before turning to Benjamin Turner and said, "Since you don't have anyone accompanying you tonight, would you mind showing Miss Lane around and keep her company?"

            "It would be a pleasure," he said as he offered his arm to Elizabeth. "So where are you from originally?"

            "I actually live in London, although my family travels often."

            "Why aren't your parents here?"

            "They're dead," Elizabeth said quietly, looking at the ground. She relished playing the part of the poor, sweet, orphaned girl. "They died a month ago."

            "I'm sorry," he said softly and Elizabeth looked up into eyes that stunned her with their depth of compassion and it took a lot to surprise her after the countless times she had played this role. 

            "There's no need to be," she said then, smiling up at him. "But why should I be answering all the questions? It should be my turn to ask you a few."

            The two of them spent most of the night in conversation. There was a strange chemistry between them and it was as if they could talk about almost anything with each other. The role that Elizabeth had assumed didn't seem to matter anymore. Once, Benjamin had told her about his middle name Coleridge. Elizabeth had laughed then and asked, "After the poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge?"

            Benjamin nodded. "My mother loved his poetry."

            "He was an opium addict you know," Elizabeth said, laughing. "I don't think your mother wanted you to follow in his shoes."

            "I think that's why it's my middle name instead of my first. It was more as if he was honouring him."

            They had stared at each other then as their smiles faded, caught in the rapport between them. The outside world held no meaning or significance at that moment – they were barely aware that it existed. All that mattered was that they were together at that moment.

            It was a while before Elizabeth returned to reality with a sense of panic. She had never felt like this before and she was frightened. She was a demon – it was impossible for demons to have feelings for humans, or anyone else for that matter.

            Wasn't it?

            She wasn't sure. She broke the stare and breathed deeply, trying to think rationally and ignore the pull within her to let herself go, to lose herself in their private world. She told herself that she didn't feel anything for him. She had merely gotten too deep in her role – the persona that she was playing was beginning to dictate her behaviour. It was just an anomaly, a strange, once-only occurrence. She got up abruptly and said coolly, "It's late. I should get home."

            Benjamin blinked. Her sudden change in behaviour had brought him crashing back to reality. "Of course," he said, flustered, getting up as well. Then he said wistfully, "When will I see you again?"

            "I'll be out walking tomorrow to take a look at the sights. You can join me," she said, telling herself that she was just meeting him in order to complete her assignment and nothing more. 

            He smiled at her then. "All right then. I'll escort you home?"

            "There's no need," Elizabeth said quickly. She didn't want to spent any more time with him, it made her too confused, made her forget her true nature. "Good night Mr Turner," she said firmly.

            "Good night Miss Lane."

            Elizabeth shimmered back to her quarters in the Underworld, troubled. She sat down and passed her palm over the black candle on the table in front of her, lighting it. Then, her fingers played with the flame as Elizabeth fell deep in thought.

            What was it about Benjamin Turner that attracted her so? He was just a human. She was a demon, she was evil and she _could not love. _

            She had to settle this quickly. There was no telling what would happen if she spent more time with him. She couldn't let any demon find out about this. It would be viewed as a weakness – at best, they would exploit it, at worst, it would lead to her destruction. She couldn't let herself get involved any further. She had to cut the weed by its roots before they got too deep into the ground.

            Her choice was simple – she had to kill him.

            Then why was she still so confused?

            The next morning, she came down from her room to find Benjamin waiting for her. He was standing by the window, his brown hair catching the morning light, his expression thoughtful.

            "What are you looking at?" she asked.

            He started. He had not noticed her presence. He turned to her and smiled. "Nothing, really. I was just thinking."

            "Thinking about what? Whether it would rain today?" 

            He laughed. "No, nothing that specific. I was just letting my mind drift."

            "Nothing as prosaic as the weather, surely," she said, grinning at him.

            "It actually _has happened on occasion." He took her arm and steered her to the door. "So where are we going?"_

            "Well, I've only been here for three days and I haven't seen much of the area. Perhaps you could show me around?"

            He smiled at her broadly. "I know just the place."

            He brought her to one of the small parks near-by. It was a beautiful and serene place, but most important of all, there were very few people. It was the perfect place to kill him.

            But Elizabeth couldn't do it. She kept telling herself to wait a little longer, that there was no rush. She was enjoying his company far too much. He had told her more about his background and his life. He was the only son of a rich family and was a lawyer. He was a good man, one who helped whoever and whenever he could. 

            Elizabeth was all too aware how different the two of them were. He was everything she wasn't. And she couldn't understand it. She could not understand how anyone could devote their whole lives to good. She couldn't resist asking him. "How can you devote your whole life to doing good knowing that you probably wouldn't get anything in return? That there would still be so much more evil going on in this world that you can do nothing about? What's the point?"

            He looked at her in surprise then said simply, "Someone has to do it." He paused, thinking. "You have to start from somewhere. It's difficult sometimes but I know I have to at least try. It's a little hard to explain."

            _I'll say, Elizabeth said to herself. That was the thing about good. They had so much __faith – faith in their ideals, in the inherent goodness of people… which Elizabeth found hard to believe. She was well aware that humans sometimes made it so easy for evil. The evil that some humans did with little or no demonic encouragement was sometimes beyond what a demon could desire._

"Do you believe that people are born good or evil and nothing can change that?" she asked, wanting to know his thoughts yet unsure why it was so important that she know them.

            He shook his head. "Perhaps to a certain extent. I think people might be born predisposed to either good or evil but I don't believe that they can't change. Ultimately, we're still given the choice to do good or evil and it's a lot more complex than I'm evil by nature." Then he grinned at her, "Why all the philosophical questions all of a sudden?"

            "Hm?" she murmured, distracted. She was still thinking over what she had just said. Then she said quickly, "It's just the quiet. It tends to make my mind wander off into all sorts of strange directions."

            "Then let's get you off to somewhere a little noisier. Thinking too much about this sort of thing is tiring for the mind," the last was said in an exaggerated patronising tone. 

            "Are you implying that my mind is weak?" Elizabeth cried in mock outrage. 

            He laughed. "Stronger than mine, my lady, stronger than mine," he took her hand in his and brought it to his lips and kissed it gently. The smile on Elizabeth's face faded as she was caught entranced once again by the man standing before her.

            A man whom she had to kill or risk death.

            She quickly withdrew her hand from his grasp and looked away, saying, "It's getting close to lunch time, shall we go get something to eat?"

            "Of course," Benjamin said after he recovered his composure. 

            Elizabeth sighed in relief. She needed to be in some place where there were more people to keep her grounded and tied to reality. She couldn't afford to forget who she was and what she came here to do. It didn't strike her then that there was no way she could complete her assignment in a crowded place.


	2. Chapter 2

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Chapter 2

            It was another troubled and sleepless night for Elizabeth. The feelings she had towards Benjamin were so strange, so unfamiliar and so bloody uncomfortable. Her mind was simply a mad swirl of confusion. 

            _Could it be that what you're feeling is love? a small voice whispered in her mind._

            _No, another part of her mind objected forcefully. __Evil cannot love. _

            Couldn't it?

            She didn't know anymore. It was what she had been told since she could remember. But could it be possible that she could _choose to love? She was born to serve evil but was it possible for her to choose a different path?_

            The doctrine that she had followed since birth gave an adamant no. But wouldn't it be in the best interests of the Source that demons were unaware that they had the freedom to a certain degree to choose which side they want to serve or if they even want to serve any side at all? Could it truly be possible for her to fight her inborn nature?

            Having such thoughts was probably equivalent to treason, she thought to herself as she tossed in her bed once more. It was all because of that bloody Benjamin and all his bloody talk about choice. At least, that's what she tried to convince herself. In truth, Benjamin had simply inadvertently showed her another door, another alternative.

            Right now, it was just whether she wanted to walk through it.

            To walk through it would mean that she would have to start a new life, hideaway from the only life she had known. But then, she'll have Benjamin beside her.

            _You fool, she scolded herself, __you don't even know if he has the same feelings for you. Hell, you aren't even sure if what you're feeling is__ love.  _

            "Damn it!" she swore out loud as she turned and pulled the pillow over her head. Couldn't all her thoughts just leave her in peace for awhile? 

            But it wasn't so easy to switch off one's thoughts. The doubts, fears and questions plagued her the whole night until exhaustion took over and allowed her some respite in oblivion.

            Elizabeth woke up the following morning to the sound of the doorbell. She heard a shout from downstairs. "Elizabeth! Someone's here to see you! A Mr Turner."

            "Damn!" she cursed as she quickly changed into something vaguely presentable. She knew she looked bad but right now she couldn't care less.

            She hurried down the stairs to see Benjamin waiting in the living room, sitting on the chair. "Hello," she said, flustered as she sat in the chair opposite his.

            "Hello," he said, "I'm sorry for coming by so early like this…"

            "It's alright," she interrupted. "You must have had a reason…" she prompted.

            He took a deep breath and then said in a rush, "I know this sounds crazy, especially since we barely know each other, but I think I've fallen in love with you."

            She just stared at him blankly in shock. It couldn't be. 

            Her emotions must have shown on her face because he then said, "It's true. I know that we've only known each other for three days and some will say that it's impossible but…" Elizabeth placed her finger on his lips and his words trailed off into silence.

            "I know," she said softly. "I feel the same way."

            Benjamin's expression turned from one of speechless surprise to one of ecstatic delight. He pulled Elizabeth into his arms and whirled her around the room, laughing. "And here I was, thinking that I was a lunatic when she's one as well!"

            "This lunatic is going to kick you if you don't put her down!" Elizabeth said laughingly as she hit Benjamin's chest playfully.

            His feet soon stilled but he still held her closely in his arms. His face became serious and he said softly, "Marry me."

            Elizabeth starred at him in wonder. Could it be a dream? If it was a dream, she never wanted to wake up. "Hit me," she said suddenly.

            "What?" Benjamin looked at her, confused.

            "I need to know that I'm not dreaming."

            He laughed. "No, you're not. I know it's sudden and we've only known each other for three days but I already know that you are the one I want to spend the rest of my life with."

            She smiled at him. Her assignment, her demonic life and her demonic nature were all completely forgotten. "In that case, yes, I will marry you."

            Benjamin held her even more tightly in his arms and his face broke into a loving smile. Slowly, he bent his head as Elizabeth raised her head and their lips met in a soft lingering kiss. 

            They spent most of the day with each other basking in their shared happiness. It was only after Benjamin left her that reality came crashing back down on Elizabeth. She was going to get the both of them killed. Painfully. But leaving Benjamin was not an option that Elizabeth wanted to try unless she had no other alternative. And if _she did not kill Benjamin, the Source would just send another demon after him._

            Perhaps if she could let the Source _think that she did kill him…_

            Fire. A body was unrecognisable when it was burnt.

            But each body had a distinctive, unique aura. The Source might be able to tell that the body wasn't Benjamin's. She needed a warlock or a demon that could mask the body with a copy of Benjamin's aura. 

            And she knew just the warlock to do it.

            Elizabeth shimmered to a dark musty room filled with potions, books and other esoteric paraphernalia. A man was bent over a large bowl that was covered in greenish blue smoke.

            "Jonus," she called.

            The man turned. "Elizabeth!" he called in delighted surprise. "So nice of you to drop by!"

            She smiled it him. Jonus was rather strange for a warlock. There were times where he behaved like an innocent child and seemed to be only interested in his experiments. Except that his experiments were meant to inflict pain, death or for other evil purposes and he had no qualms testing them out on innocents.

            "So to what do I owe this honour?" Jonus said as he walked over to Elizabeth, wiping his hands on a cloth.

            "Actually, I have a favour I need to ask."

            "Anything for you, my dear," Jonus said, grinning. "Well, _almost anything."_

            Elizabeth laughed. Jonus owed her after she had saved his life from a witch once. "Actually, I need you to mask a dead body with another human's aura."

            "Whatever for?"

            "He's the husband of this witch I want to torture a bit. I was thinking of something along the lines of making it seem that he was dead then letting her know that he isn't dead before dumping a body on her doorstep."

            Jonus shook his head and laughed. "Still the cruel sadistic demoness."

            "I might as well have some fun on the job," she said, shrugging. Inside, she felt a sense of discomfort. If Benjamin was aware of just half the fraction of what she had done in her 500 years he would leave her for sure.

            "All right," Jonus said, "Just show me the body and the human and I'll do it for you."

            "Take my hand," she said as she shimmered the two of them outside Benjamin's home. "This is the human whose aura I want you to use," she said, pointing to Benjamin who was sitting in an armchair by the window.

            "As for the body…" she said as she shimmered the two of them to the poor end of town where the homeless loitered.  "How about this one?" she let loose an energy ball at a man who looked approximately the same size as Benjamin.

            "It will do." Jonus said. He began to chant, moving his hands over the still burning body. He pulled out a few herbs from the bag he had carried with him, throwing it at the body, resulting in several tiny explosions.

            "Done," he said. 

            "So no one would notice that it isn't really the human?"

            "No one," Jonus said confidently. "Although I can't guarantee that it will last for a long time."

            "Thanks," Elizabeth said, trying not to let the gratitude show in her voice. "I had better move this body now."

            She put her hand on the body and shimmered into one of the empty rooms of Benjamin's large home. Then she shimmered into Benjamin's study room right behind him and knocked him unconscious, ignoring the pang of pain in her heart that caused. She rummaged around his study room and bedroom, packing whatever she thought he will need. For some sentimental reason, she packed his photo albums as well, remembering a remark from him once about how much he treasured them. Then, she let loose several energy balls around the house before shimmering herself and Benjamin to a deserted area nearby.

            She laid him underneath the tree and looked to the distance where the house was burning. Thick, dense greyish white clouds came out of the windows as the people living nearby came out of their homes to find out what was going on. There was a great deal of activity. Some were running to get water, others to call for more help. After checking the situation, she tried to wake Benjamin. One of her hands held his tightly while the other caressed his face.

            "Benjamin…Benjamin, darling, wake up. Benjamin, please…" When he still did not stir Elizabeth began to worry that she might have hit him too hard. After all, before all this, she hit people only to injure or kill. Never had she worried about the other person's welfare.

            To her immense relief, he began to stir. Benjamin's eyes slowly opened and his blurred vision slowly cleared, showing Elizabeth with a relieved smile leaning over him. He struggled to sit up and managed to do so with Elizabeth's help.

            "W-what happened?" he asked.

            "Someone tried to kill you," Elizabeth said, her eyes welling up with tears. The tears, however suspicious they might have seemed, were genuine. They were tears of relief for Elizabeth knew that if she had not done what she did, this would have really happened to Benjamin. Or probably something worse.

            "What? Who? Why?" he looked at Elizabeth, stunned at her words.

            "I don't know… your servant Billy told me that it was someone you had offended at court. He gave me all of these things and told me to go with you far away from here. He said that it was better if everyone thought you died in the fire," Elizabeth said, making up the story as she went along.

            "Fire? What fire?" Benjamin asked, still confused.

            Elizabeth pointed to the smoke. "That fire."

            Benjamin stood up and saw his house in flames. "Goddammit! I have to go back there!" He began to run over.

            Elizabeth ran to him and clung to him from the back. "No! You'll get killed if you go back! Please, I don't want you dead…" 

            Benjamin stopped and held the arm that held his chest tightly. "I have to. I can't just leave like that."

            "Oh, but you can bear to leave me? Possibly forever?" Elizabeth shouted angrily. She couldn't let him go back and get killed by a demon. Then her tone turned pleading, "Couldn't we just leave? Is there anything back there that you absolutely can't do without? As long as we have each other…"

            "…we don't need anything else," Benjamin finished as he turned to face Elizabeth. He raised his hand and caressed her cheek as she leaned her face into his palm. "I'm sorry. It's just that I've lived here all my life…it's difficult to give up a life that you've had forever."

            "I know," Elizabeth said. _You don't know how well I know, she thought to herself.  _

            "I'll just have to get used to it I suppose," he said, smiling slightly. "Where shall we go then?"

            "How about San Francisco?" Elizabeth suggested. She had a reason for that. Not only was San Francisco more crowded, there were also many witches there. That would hopefully distract any demons from noticing them.

            "Sounds good," Benjamin said before grinning at Elizabeth. "Look at me. Not yet married and I'm already being ordered around."

            "Believe me, you'll be the better for it." And you have no idea just how true that is.

            That night, while Benjamin was sleeping, Elizabeth shimmered to the Underworld. She found Raynor sitting on a chair in her quarters. "I've been waiting," he said irritably. 

            "You don't know how sorry I am about that," Elizabeth said sarcastically. "I've finished the assignment."

            "Yes, I know," Raynor said. Then he looked at Elizabeth critically. "You did it rather messily. Couldn't you have been more discreet?"

            Elizabeth stared at Raynor. "You dragged me out of vacation and you don't want me to have a little fun? Now if you excuse me, I'm going to go off on my vacation where none of you can find me. You'll see me when you see me," she waved before shimmering out.

            Then, she went to the house of a witch that she knew had been after Jonus for some time. She knocked on the door.

            "Hello," Elizabeth greeted. "I believe that you're looking for a warlock named Jonus?"

            The witch glanced around to check if there was anyone around who might overhear before staring at Elizabeth suspiciously. "Who are you?"

            "Just someone with information on his whereabouts."

            "How do I know that this isn't a trap?"

            "You don't," Elizabeth replied conversationally. "But is the chance of vanquishing Jonus worth taking the risk?"

            The witched stood there, looking at Elizabeth, thinking. Then she opened the door wider. "Come in."

            There was a purpose to all this. Elizabeth could not afford to take the chance that Jonus will keep his mouth shut about what he did for her. If word got out to the Source, he might find out just what she had done. But Elizabeth couldn't kill him herself. It would look to suspicious. But a witch vanquishing a warlock… She ignored the voice at the back of her head reminding her that Jonus was a friend. 

            The irony was not lost on Elizabeth. She was now helping good to get rid of an evil. But that evil was a friend to Elizabeth. She wondered what these people who served good would think worse – the betrayal of a friend or ridding the world of another warlock?


	3. Chapter 3

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Chapter 3

            The two of them thus went to San Francisco. All seemed to be well. Benjamin had soon got a good job and no one from evil seemed to have discovered what Elizabeth had done yet. Elizabeth lived a life that could not be considered as either good or evil. It was not just for Benjamin's sake that she tried to avoid doing evil – or at least any major evil. Now that she had Benjamin in her life, she was all too aware of the pain that a person went through at any hurt inflicted on a loved one or even worse, the loss of a loved one. That made her reluctant to do evil.

            Yet, because of her demonic nature, she sometimes found it difficult to serve good either. 

            Then it all began to change when their son, Cole was born.

            It had been a difficult pregnancy. Elizabeth was worried about how he might turn out since he was half human and half demon. She thought that once he was born, Benjamin will find out what she truly was. Even so, she wanted to have the baby and was willing to take the risk. In the end, all the worry seemed to be for nothing. Cole seemed to be a normal human baby showered with all the love and care his parents could give him. 

            Then, when he was two years old, Cole showed that he was not that normal after all.

            He was being scolded by both his parents for having pushed over another child that afternoon in the playground. Not that it had been entirely his fault – at least, in his eyes. The frustration had built within him, especially since his parents had rarely scolded him. Suddenly, there was a small red figure standing in the living room in the place of their son.

            Elizabeth knew at once that it was her son's demonic form. Benjamin stood there, stupefied at the sudden transformation. He was shocked and frightened. He rushed over to the boy and shouted at him, shaking his shoulders. "What are you? What the hell did you do to my son?"

            Elizabeth quickly pulled Benjamin away. Cole was angry right now and it was the first time his demonic side was unleashed. He wouldn't be able to control it. Right now, he was filled with the urge to evil and violence and could well injure or even kill his father. She bent down and held his shoulders firmly and said soothingly, "Cole, calm down. Get control of your temper. You're home, you're safe and we love you. Come back to us."

            Slowly, the old Cole came back. Benjamin stared at Elizabeth accusingly. "What happened to him? There's something you know that you're not telling me…"

            Elizabeth sighed and said tiredly, "Cole's half demon."

            "No!" Benjamin shouted in disbelief. "That would make you – "

            " – a demon as well," she said, looking at Benjamin steadily in the eye.

            "But how can it be? You look human… demons are evil – you can't be evil…"

            "I was evil until I met you and fell in love. This is just my human form."

            "And your demon form? What does it look like?" 

            "Trust me, you don't want to see it."

            "And our son, is he evil too?"

            "I wouldn't lie and say that he isn't. He'll have the inclination towards evil because of his demonic nature. But if we bring him up properly, he'll be able to control it. _I've been able to control it and I'm a full demon." _

            "And they let you be with a human?"

            Elizabeth hesitated.

            "The truth, Elizabeth, please," Benjamin said in a tired voice.

            "They don't know about it. But if they did, both of us – and Cole – will be dead."

            Benjamin nodded as if having heard the answer to some hidden mystery. "So that was why you wanted us to leave the town then?"

            She nodded. "Do you hate me for what I am?"

            Benjamin looked at her, shocked that she could suggest something like this. "No! No, I can never hate you, Elizabeth. I just wished that you told me this earlier, that's all. Whatever you've done, it's all in the past. You're different now."

            Elizabeth looked at him, loving him at that moment more than she had ever thought possible. "Thank you," she said softly.

            A small tug on Elizabeth's dress drew their attention back to their son. "Mother, are you and Father still angry at me?"

            "No, love, no," she smiled down at him. "Come on, it's late. Let's get you to bed." She carried him in her arms up the stairs with Benjamin following behind her.

            After putting their son to sleep, Elizabeth and Benjamin went back to the living room. She sat encircled in Benjamin's arms on the old large armchair. They sat there in a companionable silence, neither willing to break the silent rapport they had.

            Finally, Benjamin broke the silence. "So we'll have to keep Cole under close watch?"

            Elizabeth nodded. "You'll have to be careful though. He's dangerous in his demonic form."

            "Why?"

            "Demons all have powers. I'm not too sure what sort of powers he has yet but if it's inherited from me then they might include energy balls. And you'll want to stay extremely far away from those."

            "What powers do you have exactly?" Benjamin asked curiously.

            Elizabeth laughed. "I've got quite a few. Preternatural strength for one and I've already told you about the energy balls. I can also shimmer – a power which allows me to go from one place to another almost instantly. I can move things with my mind, sense strong emotions and a few minor powers here and there – nothing really worth mentioning."

             "Are you ever going to tell me about your days as a demon?"

            "I don't know…" Elizabeth said, looking away into the distance. "I've done some very horrible things that I'm not sure that I want you to know about. I know that a good relationship is built on trust but sometimes – "

            " – it's better to let old ghosts lie," Benjamin finished, smiling at Elizabeth and turning her face towards his. He softly kissed her on the lips and then said, "I understand. And remember this, I love you. Yesterday, today and forever."

             She grinned at him. "You're such a sweet-talker.  That's how I was charmed by you."

            "Love, you have no idea how charming I can get," Benjamin said, a mischievous smile on his face. He lifted her in his arms and stood up and carried her into their bedroom.

            Later that night, Elizabeth suddenly said, "You took the news very well."

            "Hmm?" Benjamin said sleepily.

            Elizabeth turned to face him. "I thought that you might be afraid of me, hate me being evil once."

            He laughed softly. "Whatever you once were, I know the person you are now. I know that you aren't evil and that I have no reason to fear or hate you. That is enough. I was simply shocked. But yet, I think on some level I've always suspected that you were keeping something from me."

            Elizabeth looked at her husband in wonderment at the quiet faith he had in her, loving him more than words could say. "I love you, Benjamin Turner," she said softly as she leaned her head on her chest.

            He pulled her closer to him. "I know. But it doesn't hurt for you to say it more often," he smiled at her.

            At that moment, Elizabeth knew absolute peace and happiness. This was probably the closest thing to heaven that she would ever know and she was going to cling to and protect every single minute of it.

But it was not meant to be. A few days later, Elizabeth was sitting on a bench reading while Cole was playing with some of the other children at the park. A man sat down beside her. A voice that she would rather not hear again said, "Isn't this a most idyllic scene?"

            Elizabeth's head looked up sharply in shock from the book she was reading. "Raynor," she said flatly. She turned to look at him. "What the hell are you doing here?"

            "You've become quite the good little wife," Raynor continued, ignoring Elizabeth's question. "Rather surprising actually."

            "Again, what the hell are you doing here?" Elizabeth said, her voice becoming deadly quiet.

            "Oh, I'm just here to pay a visit to you, your son and your husband. You really should have invited me to your wedding – we are family after all. But then, I forget. Your husband was the human you were supposed to kill."

            "That's enough Raynor," she interrupted sharply. "Do I have to repeat myself?"

            "Patience, my dear," Raynor said reproachfully. "Did you think you could get away this easily for such a treasonous charge of lying to the Source? But I have to applaud the way you pulled the wool over all our eyes – most impressive. It would probably have lasted a while longer if it hadn't been for your son."

            "My son?"

            "Elizabeth, Elizabeth," Raynor said, shaking his head. "You've spent too long in the mortal world – it's blunted your wits. Don't you remember that the Source is able to sense the birth of a new demon?"

            Realisation dawned on Elizabeth. "Once Cole turned into his demon form, the Source sensed him. But he had no notice of any new demon births, so he sent someone to investigate."

            "So you do have some of your wits left. You were really rather careless," Raynor chided. "You forgot that the Source was able to sense the whereabouts of all demons unless they're shielded."

            Elizabeth swore inside at her stupidity. "What do you want?" she said coldly. 

            "Nothing really."

            Elizabeth laughed incredulously. "You mean you're just going to leave me and my family alone without anything in return? Who are you kidding here? It's never nothing with the Source."

            "So sceptical," Raynor said. "We've met and we've discussed the matter. We decided that if you're foolish enough to want to be with a harmless, useless mortal, then so be it. We'll let you live in the blissful stupidity you choose."

            "Oh no," Elizabeth said, shaking her head. "There's a catch somewhere."

            Raynor sighed. "Honestly, Elizabeth, will you rather that we hunt you and your family and kill them? Because that can be arranged…"

            "No," she said. "You just leave us alone." Then she said warningly, "But I'll be on my guard."

            Raynor simply shrugged. Elizabeth had no desire to spend another minute with him and called impatiently, "Cole! Let's go!" The boy came to her reluctantly and Elizabeth had to drag him away.

            As the two figures faded in the distance, a cold, dark smile appeared on Raynor's face before he left as well.


	4. Chapter 4

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Chapter 4

            Another two years had gone by and, true to his word, no demons came after Elizabeth and her family. But she still had a constant, vague unease and a part of her was still waiting for the other shoe to drop. 

            Cole was now four years old and his demonic side had only appeared once since that first time. Elizabeth had privately named Cole's demonic side "Belthazor", which meant "dark one" in the old demonic tongue. The demonic tongue was one of the first languages of the demons and was still used by some of the most powerful demons in their spells. Elizabeth had learnt it once a long time ago.

            She and Cole had seen lesser of Benjamin this past year. He was getting busier everyday by his rapidly advancing career. Although Benjamin helped where he could, the burden fell to Elizabeth to watch over her son, and make sure that his demonic half was kept under tight control.

            Then, one day, after Elizabeth had left Cole with the neighbour while she went out to buy groceries, she saw something that was to change the course of their three lives.

            As she walked past the house of a person whom she knew to be witch, she saw a familiar figure by the door, wearing a jacket that Elizabeth had bought for him so long ago.

And he was kissing the witch.

            Cold fury and rage burned through Elizabeth. When she could see the man's face, a murderous anger rose at the sight of that face she knew so well.

            Benjamin.

            How could he have betrayed her trust? After she had given up so much for him? Just because she was a demon and that-that _woman was a witch? She should have known. All those late nights, all those missed weekends… _

            She would have killed the both of them there and then. But Elizabeth had a tight control over her emotions – a remnant of her days as one of the deadliest demons. The red cloud of rage dissipated as a deadly calm came over her. A cold clear fury descended over her. She kept herself out of sight until Benjamin and the witch went into her house. Then she walked to the neighbouring house.

            She rang the doorbell. An elderly woman answered the door. By then, Elizabeth was crying. Although her tears were out of genuine sorrow, they also served a purpose. 

            "I'm s-so sorry," she said. "But I need to know… have to know… how long has the man been visiting the woman next door?"

            "Why?" the woman said suspiciously.

            "H-He's my husband," she said, as the tears poured down faster than ever.

            The woman's face turned into one of sympathy and horror. "Come in, you poor child, come in."

            The woman told her that Benjamin had been coming by for the past year and a half. Nobody around had any idea that he had a wife. Everyone had thought they were the perfect couple. 

            As the woman spoke, Elizabeth decided on her course of action. She had to get her revenge, her vengeance. Then, she'll bring Cole and herself far away from this place. When the old woman finished telling Elizabeth whatever she knew, Elizabeth smiled sadly and said, "Thank you."

            She walked out of the house and shimmered into the house of the witch. The witch was not really powerful, an easy target. She quietly and cautiously walked around, looking for any sign of Benjamin. When she was certain that he had left, she shimmered to where the witch was.

            Silently, without saying a word, she let loose an energy ball.

            She stood there, watching coldly as the witch screamed in pain at the flames before shimmering back to her home.

            She hastily packed whatever belongings she had when Raynor shimmered into the room. She did not notice his presence until he said, "I've told you before that humans couldn't be trusted."

            Elizabeth turned sharply and glared at Raynor. "Go away Raynor," she snapped. 

            "My dear Elizabeth," Raynor said, "betrayed by the human that she gave up all her power and status for. Was it worth it?"

            Elizabeth dropped the clothes she was carrying and stared at Raynor. "I said, _go away." _

            "You can still come back to us," he said casually.

            "And why would I want to do that?" Elizabeth said exasperatedly. 

            "Because there's nothing left for you here. Because you're still one of the best demons around and it'd be a shame if you just let yourself wither away."

            "No, Raynor," Elizabeth said. "I'm never coming back."

            "Then where are you going to go?" he said rationally. "Your actions today have shown that you're still the demon that you were – that you are still evil. You killed the witch in cold blood. All of us sensed the evil in that act. Why bother to hide from your true nature?  

            "Do I have to hit you over the head with something?" Elizabeth said, annoyed. "I am not going with you."

            "If that is what you choose…" Raynor said. "You can call for me if you ever decide to change your mind." He shimmered away.

            Elizabeth looked out of the window and saw Benjamin walking towards the house. There was no time. She had to leave immediately. She abandoned her packing and ran out of her room shouting, "Cole? Cole! Come here! We're leaving!"

            The small boy came running out of his room. Elizabeth felt a pang in her heart at the sight of the boy. He was the very image of his father. "Mother?" he said. "Where are we going?"

            "Somewhere else, honey," she said as she held the hand of the little boy tightly in hers. "Somewhere far away from here."

            "Aren't we waiting for Father?"

            "Your father would meet us there," she lied, not having the heart to tell her son the truth. Elizabeth walked quickly, hoping that Benjamin had not seen them. But he had. He ran to catch up with them.

            "Where are the two of you going in such a hurry?" he said laughingly, which only served to make Elizabeth more angry.

            "I'm leaving and I'm taking Cole with me," she said, refusing to look at Benjamin.

            "Leaving? Where?" Benjamin said as the smile faded off his face, replaced by confusion. Then realisation dawned on him. "Why?" he said, grabbing Elizabeth's arm. 

            She struggled free from his grasp. "You know why," she said angrily.

            "No, I don't!" he shouted. "Elizabeth, just what the _hell are you trying to do?"_

            "If you couldn't take my being a demon, if you didn't love me anymore, why didn't you tell me?" she shouted back. "Why did you go behind my back with that witch?"

            "_What witch!" Benjamin said confused. "And who said I didn't love you anymore?" _

            "I already know the truth! Could you just please stop _lying?"_

            "I'm not lying, Elizabeth! I have no idea what the hell you are talking about." He reached for her arm again. 

Elizabeth struggled free and turned to him. "You're having a bloody affair! Since you don't want to be with me, fine. I'll leave. And I'm taking Cole along with me."

"No!" he shouted. "I will not let you do that." He tried to reach for Cole.

By then, the rage and frustration and the need for vengeance had taken over Elizabeth's mind. She hardly knew what she was doing when she pushed Benjamin away and released the energy ball at Benjamin. All she knew was that he wanted to take away the one last thing she had in this world and she was not going to let him. 

As she saw the energy ball head towards Benjamin, she could only stare at her hand in disbelief and horror. Finally gaining control of her senses, she grabbed the crying Cole who was rushing towards his father and shimmered them away to her own quarters in the Underworld.

She sat down on her bed heavily, in shock. She had not meant to kill Benjamin. The thought had crossed her mind but the love she had for him prevented her from doing so. She might have been furious at his betrayal but she could never bring herself to kill him. She stared down at her hands, not recognising them.

Was what Raynor said true? Could she never escape from what she was?

Cole was sitting on the floor crying. Then suddenly, he stood up and ran to Elizabeth, his small fists raining on her. "I hate you!" he shouted. "You killed Father! I hate you! I hate you…"

Elizabeth was numb, her mind blank. She barely noticed Cole. All that was in her mind was the same scene that was playing over and over again. Benjamin pulling Cole, she pushing him away and releasing that energy ball, the scene when the energy ball hit Benjamin…

It was just then when Raynor appeared. He took in the scene with a small cruel smile on his lips. Suddenly, Cole went silent as he slumped to the floor in sleep.

"What did you do to him?" Elizabeth said emotionlessly, still in shock.

"Nothing serious, I just persuaded him to sleep," Raynor said. "I needed a little less noise."

Then he walked over to Elizabeth. "I told you. You can't run away from what you are. Come back to us. You made a mistake, Elizabeth. But you can still return to what you once was – a powerful, respected demon. And your son would become one as well. He'll never have to know the betrayal, hurt and pain that you feel now."

Elizabeth didn't answer. She just stared forwardly blankly. Then, dully, she said, "All right." Raynor was right. There was no point trying to run away anymore. Besides, she knew better now. Humans were not to be trusted. They were to be made use of, manipulated… but never trusted. As for Cole – she'll train him, bring out his demonic side. There was no use for his human side anymore. It was better this way.


	5. Chapter 5

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

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Chapter 5

Elizabeth looked at her son with increasing frustration. Cole was sitting in a corner of the room, with his knees pulled up to his chin and was staring forward. For two days now he had refused to move and refused to eat. Elizabeth was beginning to get worried. She was not just worried about what that would do to his health. If Cole continued like this, he might get killed by some demon. It was bad enough that he was dismissed contemptuously by most as a half breed. Elizabeth was well aware that they tolerated his presence because of her. If he proved himself to be weak and of no use, they might just decide to kill him.

This could not carry on any further. She decided to use a different approach.

"Cole," she said as she walked closer to him and knelt down so that they were at eye level. "Cole, look at me," she said sternly.

The boy stared at her with hate-filled eyes.

"I killed your father Cole," she said with a pang of pain in heart as she saw the hate in his gaze grow fiercer. "You know why? He was human. Weak. Defenceless. He was no longer of any use to me…"

She continued in that vein as the anger in the boy's face grew. Then, as the boy stood up, he became the small red figure that Elizabeth had hardly seen.

Belthazor. 

He flung an energy ball at Elizabeth, who easily dodged it. The young boy was consumed with anger at her mother and was blind to the pain in her eyes. She did not gain any satisfaction from the exercise. If she could, she would have left Cole as the human boy that he had once been. But if she did that, he wouldn't be able to survive in the Underworld. And yet, she could not let him go. She could not bring herself to leave him alone in the human world. Besides, with all that he had seen and his half-demonic nature, he would never be a normal human. 

Raynor had also made it increasingly clear over the past few days that leaving was not an option for either of them. A part of her wondered about that. There was some part of the puzzle that she was missing. Why hadn't Raynor just killed them? Why couldn't he let them go back? Why hadn't she been punished at all for what she had done – which was tantamount to treason?

It was with these questions and a deep pain and sorrow in her heart that Elizabeth left her quarters. After flinging the energy ball, Cole had reverted to his human form and stared at his hand in amazement. Then he had glared at his mother, demanding an explanation, which Elizabeth had delivered in a cold, perfunctory manner. It was too much for the boy to take at once and he had retreated back to his corner. Soon, exhaustion overcame him and he fell asleep. He had not had any proper training and releasing an energy ball at this stage was too physically demanding for him. 

Elizabeth walked into cavern after cavern, hardly knowing where she was going. She simply needed to move around as she sorted through her thoughts. Then she heard a familiar voice quite clearly – Raynor's.

Somehow she had found her way to Raynor's quarters. She should have turned back, but a part of her was too curious. Besides, turning back would have definitely drawn attention to her presence. She hid herself in the shadows and carefully masked her presence both mentally and physically.

Raynor was talking to another demon. "Do you have it?"

"Yes," the other demon said. He was thin and tall and his midnight black hair was carefully in place. His greyish-blue eyes showed confusion. "Though why should you want to have that human's soul I do not know."

"Insurance, Tatra, insurance," Raynor replied. "We have brought Elizabeth and her son back to the fold but we need to make sure that they stay here."

"But there's no need for insurance, Raynor," Tatra protested. "Your plan is secure enough. She will never know that it was you who orchestrated that scene at the witch's house by getting another demon to assume the form of a witch while you assumed that of her husband. That you had deceived her into thinking that that human had betrayed her so that she will kill him."

Elizabeth stood in the shadows in stunned horror. That horror quickly turned into rage. How could she have been so blind? How could she not have made certain before she took action? She wanted to kill Raynor, and she would have if she hadn't been aware that she would lose. She might have a chance at winning if Raynor was alone, but not when there were two of them. Besides, there was still Cole to think of.

The thought of her son brought tears to her eyes. How could she have been so wrong? How could she murder her husband – the one man that she had ever loved? In spite of her grief and anger, she continued listening to the conversation.

"There is no such thing as over-insurance Tatra," Raynor reprimanded. "You should know better then that. But come, we have other things we must do," with that, the two of them began to walk away.

When she was certain that both of them were out of distance, she shimmered back to her quarters. She packed her few possessions and carried Cole in her arms. Just as she did so, the boy began to stir. When he realised who was carrying him, he began to struggle. It was then that Raynor shimmered into her room.

"And where do you think you're going?" he said casually.

"Away from here," she said flatly. "I know what you did. You made me think Benjamin was having an affair, so that I'd kill him. I'm not going to stay here and let you continue making use of me."

"You have no choice," he said then, as he opened his palm. A small, white orb appeared in his palm. "I have your husband's soul. If you leave now, I'll destroy it."

"No!" she shouted as she put Cole on the floor and rushed Raynor for the orb. Raynor shimmered out of reach. He tightened his hand over the orb and said threateningly, "You will do as I say. You'll stay here with your son and you'll bring you son up as a demon. If not, I'll destroy this soul faster than you can even blink."

"Why should I even follow what you say? You're just going to keep Benjamin's soul in captivity. That might be a worse fate than destruction."

"Ah! But I might return you his soul once the Source is satisfied that Belthazor is sufficiently evil and loyal to the Source. Do you dare give up the slightest chance that you might be able to get back your husband's soul?"

"_Why?" Elizabeth shouted helplessly. "What do you want with us?" What Raynor had said was true. She could not risk the destruction of her husband's soul. She had already done him too much wrong. She owed him too much and she loved him too much. If there was a glimmer of hope that his soul might be released, Elizabeth would do whatever was needed._

"Your son has the potential to be one of the most powerful demons. The Source doesn't want to lose such potential," Raynor replied. He did not reveal that in fact, the prophecy had been fulfilled. Cole had the potential to ultimately destroy or aid in the destruction of the Source – unless they could defy the prophecy by turning Cole to the side of evil.

Elizabeth looked at Raynor in defeat. She had no other choice at this point. "All right. I'd do it. But why do you want _me to train him?"_

            He laughed. "Your son's hatred for you is the fastest and best way of turning him evil. Besides, you have nothing else to do and you _are one of the strongest demons around. So I suppose you have decided to follow my instructions?"_

            "As if I had a choice," Elizabeth muttered. Raynor merely smiled humourlessly at her. Then he walked over to Cole. The boy had heard and understood everything. All the anger and hatred he felt towards his mother was now directed to Raynor. Raynor passed his hand over Cole's face and Cole felt his eyes shut.

            "What are you doing to him?" Elizabeth cried in panic.

            "I'm just removing all his memories of this little conversation we had. He might remember this someday and it might turn him against evil – which would defeat the entire purpose of this little exercise."

            She looked at her now sleeping son in hopeless despair. _I'm so sorry Cole, she said to him silently. She leaned down and caressed her son's hair. __Forgive me for what I have to do, for turning you evil._


	6. Chapter 6

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Author's Notes: Sorry that it took me so long to write this part! I've just been so busy with school… Anyway, thanks for all the wonderful reviews so far! I only hope that you like this chapter as well.

Also, special thanks to Christina, who's provided me with so much encouragement. This part is dedicated to you. :-)

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Chapter Six

            "Again!" Elizabeth shouted at her son. 

            Cole dragged up all the last bits of energy that he had in his body and let loose a weak energy ball. It dissipated before it even got close to the target. He swayed slightly on his feet. He was exhausted. The entire day had been devoted to practicing throwing energy balls – aiming, learning how to control the amount of energy released and knowing just how great a force to use to get a certain effect. Cole was so tempted to just lie down and rest…

            Suddenly he saw an energy ball heading towards him. He quickly shimmered himself to safety at the other end of the room. He glared at his mother mutinously. 

            "You need to push yourself beyond your own limits," Elizabeth said coldly. "Otherwise you can forget about ever becoming more powerful. And never, _ever let your guard slip." Elizabeth had realised long ago just how exhausted Cole was and she wanted so badly to just let him rest and hold him in her arms for a while. But she couldn't. She could not let the front she had put up slip._

            Still, she couldn't stop herself from saying, "That will be all for today." 

            Cole couldn't stop the look of relief that passed over his face. He stood there warily for a moment, worried that it might be another trick from his mother. They stood there for a while, staring at each other in silence. Then, upon realising that his mother was genuinely giving him a brief respite, Cole broke the stare, turned and ran out of the room to his hiding place.

            She watched the small figure vanish into the distance and she felt a rush of piercing pain and deep sadness. The pain in her heart never left her now. Her heart ached for the loss of happier, more innocent times. She missed Benjamin terribly; his laughter, the way he held her in his arms, his quiet love and concern, and every moment that they had shared together haunted her every waking moment. 

            But her greatest source of agony was her son. 

            Elizabeth watched her son become more evil, more ruthless, more cold-blooded and it was all through her own doing. Deeply etched in her mind still was the image of a normal, human Cole. The sweet little boy, who laughed often, had the quiet mischief of his father and who would fall sleep in his mothers arms in absolute trust. She wanted that boy back. But those were times that were irrevocably gone.

            But Elizabeth couldn't carry on with this any longer. She couldn't let her son become evil. There had to be a way out. 

            The problem was, Raynor still had Benjamin's soul and Elizabeth had no idea how she was going to get it back safely. She didn't know if she ought to take the risk that Benjamin's soul might be destroyed. Her face darkened and her eyes glinted with frustration and anger. She _hated being trapped in a corner like this. "Damned if you do and damned if you don't," she muttered to herself, quite unaware of the irony of the statement._

            She walked out of the room towards the cavern which Cole used for his own private sanctuary. Cole did not suspect that his mother knew about it. It wasn't that far away from Elizabeth's quarters and was well-hidden. Elizabeth might not have noticed its existence had she not followed Cole there just to check on him.

            She stood at the opening to the cavern and watched the young boy who had curled in a corner of the cavern, already sound asleep. She moved silently into the cavern and sat beside Cole, gently caressing his hair away from his face.

            Then Elizabeth's face turned determined and grim. There was no other way. She couldn't carry on forcing Cole towards evil. She couldn't allow herself and her son to be used in such a way by Raynor and the Source. She had to try rescuing Benjamin's soul, even if she lost her life doing it.  

            The question that remained was: how?

            Elizabeth's eyes turned icy cold and her expression determined and dangerous. By the age-old method of death threats, of course.

She rushed back to her room and took out a small box made of a deep redwood. In it lay a long silver knife that glinted in the pale candlelight. It was simple and unadorned and yet it was there that its beauty lay. She carefully took the knife out and hid it in her robe before she left for Raynor's quarters.

            There, near the entrance of his quarters, Elizabeth waited patiently in the shadows for her quarry.

            When he finally showed up, Elizabeth moved with a swiftness and grace that any martial arts expert would envy. Within seconds, Raynor found himself held hostage with a knife to his throat and two steely eyes staring at him.

            "Give me Benjamin's soul. Now."

            Raynor smiled. "Honestly, I didn't think you'll be this…suicidal. Trite as this may sound, you can't _possibly think you'll be able to succeed."_

            Elizabeth tightened her grip about his neck, drawing blood. "Perhaps," she said. "But I don't think you really want to question my sanity right now, in case I do something mad like killing you. No, that would actually be the _sane thing to do."_

            Raynor laughed as Elizabeth glared at him. "Where is it?" she said sharply as she tightened her grip further.

            "In there," Raynor said, still smiling as he pointed into his quarters. They made their way awkwardly into the large, dark cavern.

            "Just out of curiosity," he said, "why were you willing to risk the destruction of your husband's soul?"

            "Because I know you Raynor," Elizabeth said. "Even if you couldn't use Benjamin's soul against me, you'll keep it in case it might come in useful with my son. You never close the door on any possibility." It was actually simply a hunch and a gamble on Elizabeth's part."

            "I've grown transparent with age," he said mournfully. "But you had always been one of the best, Elizabeth."

            Elizabeth rolled her eyes to stare upwards. "Please. Spare me this drivel."

            They finally stopped in front of a chest of drawers. Elizabeth loosened her grasp enough for Raynor to reach into a drawer and lift up a clear glass box with a blue orb glowing in it. Elizabeth gave Raynor a hard and sharp knock on the head with the hilt of the knife backed with a small energy blast, leaving him unconscious and catching the glass box before it fell to the ground.

            Then, she shimmered to Cole and, carrying him in her arms, shimmered back to the surface, away from the Underworld. She looked around her and realised that she had orbed the two of them to the park that Benjamin had brought her to so very long ago. Meanwhile, Cole began to stir. His eyes fluttered open and he sat up slowly. As the last vestiges of sleep left him, he realised that he was no longer in the Underworld. He glared at his mother accusingly. "Where did you bring me?" he said suspiciously.

            "Hush," Elizabeth said distractedly. She was carefully examining the glass box, searching for a way to open it. She finally found a small button, but as she pressed it, a sudden massive rush of energy went through her.

            Pain. Her whole mind was empty except for the pain.

            Cole watched in shock as he saw currents of energy surrounding his mother.

            Raynor chose that moment to shimmer there. He took the box away from Elizabeth and held it in his palm. The moment he touched it, the flow of energy stopped and Elizabeth slumped to the ground.

            "Did you really think it would be that easy?" Raynor scoffed. "You didn't guess that this box is keyed to me only. If you had greater powers than me, you might perhaps have been able to break through. But unfortunately…"

            Elizabeth would have cursed if she had the strength to – as it was, at that moment, her vision was rapidly growing dim. She knew then that it was the end. "Benjamin… Cole…" she murmured.

            "Don't worry," Raynor said as he pulled Cole, who had been rooted to the ground in disbelief, over to him and held him by his shoulders. "I'll make sure that he gets all that he needs."

            "Damn you…" Elizabeth said. She was hanging on to consciousness by the weakest and thinnest of threats.

            Eventually, they snapped and all was darkness.

            Cole watched as his mother's body burst into flames. But, strangely enough, a white light seemed to surround the fire. If he had looked up, he would have seen the expression on Raynor's face darken. 

            "The other side's taken her spirit," he said to no one in particular. "Damn them. Didn't know they could intervene like that…" Then he leaned down and once more erased all memory of the incident from Cole's mind. Carrying the unconscious Cole, he shimmered them both to the Underworld and to Cole's new life. 

*~Finis~*


	7. Epilogue

A Mother's Story

By Risa

Disclaimer: See Chapter 1

Author's Note: I know it's been a long time since I've finished the last chapter of the story. But I felt that I had left a few loose ends that needed to be tidied up. I thought I'd do that in the epilogue but I've been so distracted that it took me ages to do it. Anyway, here it is, and I hope you will like it. Also, this takes place just after the Season 4 premiere. I thought it would fit in best there. Thanks again to all the people who have given me such great feedback!

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Epilogue

            "What's wrong, Cole?" Phoebe asked, as she gently touched Cole's shoulder.

            Cole was standing by the window, his back facing Phoebe, lost in thought. He started at Phoebe's voice and turned, tearing his thoughts back to the present. "What?" he said distractedly.

            "I asked you what's wrong," Phoebe repeated, "You seem pretty distracted today, as if something's bothering you."

            Cole sighed. "It's nothing much, really."

            Phoebe just stared at him. 

            "All right," he said reluctantly. "Do you remember when Raynor made me kill that witch?"

            She nodded. Those were times she would rather not remember actually.

            "Well, he actually was holding my father's soul hostage. I had to do what I did partly in order to get it back."

            Phoebe looked at him, stunned. "Why didn't you tell me this? You said Raynor cast a spell on you."

            "Well, he did. But that wouldn't have turned me so fast. My father's soul was just the catalyst. I didn't tell you because it was just too complicated."

            "So what happened to your father's soul? Did Raynor actually keep to the bargain?" the last was said rather sceptically. 

            "He did actually," Cole said, "I suppose it was 'cause he no longer had any use of my father's soul."

             "So where is it now?"

            Cole held out his hand with his palm facing upward. A blue orb of energy appeared, floating above it. "I've kept it with me. With all that was happening I didn't exactly have time to think about what to do with it. Recently, I've been trying to set my father's soul free, but I haven't figured out how to."

            "Why didn't you say something earlier?" Phoebe said, "We could have done something about it."

            "I just didn't want to give you any more problems, what with Prue's death and everything else…" he trailed off, seeing the quick flash of sorrow that crossed Phoebe's face at the mention of Prue. He took Phoebe's hands and pulled her closer. "You tried your best. Prue's death was beyond your control."

            "I know," Phoebe sighed. "That's what I keep trying to tell myself whenever the 'what-if's start coming." She forced out a smile and tried to change the subject. "But anyway, let's deal with your problem now." She held Cole's hand in hers and pulled him towards the stairs, "Let's see if there's anything in the Book."

            After an entire morning of searching, they still couldn't find anything. Phoebe sighed as she shut the book. Then, Cole came up with a suggestion. "Why not we ask Leo?"

            "I should have thought of that sooner," Phoebe said ruefully. "Leo!" she shouted.

            Leo orbed into attic. "Hey Phoebe, Cole," he said.

            "Hi Leo," Phoebe said, "Cole needs some help," she said, prompting Cole to speak.

            "Do you know anything about freeing souls?" he asked.

            "What?" Leo said, confused.

            Cole explained the entire story to Leo. At the end of it, Leo nodded and grinned. "Actually, I do know how to deal with this. Whitelighters have had to deal with this sort of thing from time to time. Let me have his soul."

            Cole once again summoned the small orb onto his palm and gingerly passed it to Leo. A warm golden glow surrounded the blue orb that continued to spread until the whole attic was filled with the same golden light. The surface of the orb began to split and fragment and a blue mist began to emerge.

            Within minutes, the ghostly figure of a man appeared standing in the middle of that attic and the golden light subsided.

            The man bore a striking resemblance to Cole and was dressed in what was the fashion at the turn of the century. He had a small smile on his face. "Well, it certainly took you long enough," he said.

            "Father?" Cole said, hardly believing that the sight in front of him was true. He couldn't say anything else.

            The man smiled at him. "Yes Cole. It's been a while."

            Just then, there was a white glow in the room and a woman appeared. "You certainly took your time," she said in mock irritation. 

            "_Mother?" Cole said, shocked, which quickly turned to suspicion and anger. "What are __you doing here?"_

            "Leo," Phoebe said softly, "Get Piper and Paige."

            "There's no need for that," Benjamin said. Phoebe looked at him in surprise but motioned for Leo to stop. Benjamin walked to Elizabeth and took both her hands in his. "Could you leave us for a while, love?" he said gently. "We've got some overdue explanations to make and its better they hear it from me." 

            She nodded, as pain, sadness and wistfulness swarmed over her, feelings which intensified when she looked at Cole. Benjamin only knew too well what she was feeling at that moment. He brought her hands up to his lips and gently kissed them. Elizabeth managed a small smile and disappeared as silently as she had arrived.

            Cole, Phoebe and Leo could only stare at the scene in front of them, stunned. It was _not what they had expected. Benjamin stood there expectantly, waiting for one of them to ask the inevitable question._

            Finally, Phoebe said slowly, "What just happened there? I thought she was the one who killed you…"

            Benjamin sighed. "She did. But it was a lot more complicated than that."

            "How?" Cole said in anger at the actions of his mother, "How complicated can it get?"

            "Very," Benjamin said. He looked at Cole sadly, "You've wronged your mother all these years. But that was hardly your fault. All this was done by Raynor." He began to tell them the story of how he and Elizabeth had met, the deception Raynor had created and the events that had led to his and Elizabeth's own death.

            " – after she died, her spirit was taken by the side of good. Partly because they were touched by the love she had for both you and me but also partly because it was a tit-for-tat measure. Since the other side had my soul, they kept hers. She's been waiting for me since." With that, he had finished his story and all of them sat there in silence, grappling with everything they had heard.

Cole felt his head spin. He had no idea that his parents had had such a history. For years he had hated his mother so much when it turned out that that was exactly what Raynor wanted. He had been a mere instrument in his hands. "How did you know all this?" he asked.

            Benjamin sighed. "Even though my soul was trapped, I was still aware of what was happening outside. It was a way for Raynor to torture me. I saw Elizabeth forced into bringing you up as a demon, I saw you become increasingly evil, but I was also aware of what had happened after you met Phoebe Halliwell," Benjamin gave Phoebe a grateful smile. "Both Elizabeth and I want to thank you for all that you've done for our son."

            She grinned as she looked up at Cole before turning back to Benjamin. "He's done a lot for me too."

            "Anyway," Benjamin said, "whatever I didn't see for myself, your mother told me." At the look of surprise that Cole gave, he grinned. "I don't know how exactly, but somehow she managed to visit me after she died. It was the only thing that kept me sane all these years." He paused, before continuing. "She really loved you Cole. When you were just born, she would just hold you in her arms and look at you with such wonderment and love…"

            Phoebe and Leo looked at each other in surprise. It was difficult to believe that a demon was capable of such love.

            Cole sighed. "It must have been hard for both of you these past few years. And I probably didn't help the situation much."

            Benjamin shook his head. "You went down that path mainly because of the lies Raynor told you. Your mother despaired and blamed herself but I told her that things would change. You were not wholly evil and time has proven me right."

            "And you're really proud of that aren't you?" a voice said sourly. The three of them turned to see Elizabeth appear beside Benjamin.

            He grinned at her. "Why shouldn't I be? You wouldn't let _me forget it when __you're right."_

            "So you've told them everything?" she said softly. He nodded.

            Elizabeth walked towards Cole and said, "I'm sorry for everything that happened, for not being there for you when you needed me." The pain and regret she was feeling was all too evident in her eyes.

            Cole felt the tears come to his eyes which threatened to fall. This was the mother that he remembered from so long ago. The one who used to hold him in her arms and sing him to sleep, who always had a gentle smile for him, who worried and fussed when he got into some scrap or another… "There's nothing to be sorry about," he said. "You did everything you could."

            She smiled at him tremulously and impulsively pulled Cole into her arms, holding him tightly. "You were so much smaller before," she laughed. "You've grown so much." She pulled back and caressed his face with her hands. "I've missed so much," she said quietly.

            Benjamin walked to Elizabeth and placed his hand on her shoulder. "We've both missed a lot," he said gently.

            "But at least we've had this bit of time together," Cole said. "I don't know, I've always thought that you guys were _much bigger." _

            The two of them laughed. Elizabeth reluctantly released Cole from her arms. "We should get going," she said to Benjamin, "There are people expecting us up there."

            "You'll drop by every now and then?" Cole said, somewhat wistfully. He had missed so much. This reunion was too short to satisfy him.

            "We'll try," Elizabeth said. "But those people up there and their bloody regimental rules…"

            "Elizabeth!" Benjamin said in mock shock before he laughed. Then his face sobered. "We really should get going." He took Elizabeth's hand.

            "Wait a minute," Phoebe said suddenly. "I don't want to hold you guys back or anything but something Cole said keeps bothering me. He once told me that it wasn't possible for evil to love so…"

            " – how could I fall in love with Benjamin?" Elizabeth finished Phoebe's question upon seeing her hesitation. "The truth is that's what we've been brought up to think. Demons, like humans, actually have free will as well. It might be much more difficult to resist our evil tendencies and actually love someone, but it's not impossible." Then she smiled at Phoebe. "I forgot to thank you as well for all that you've given Cole. Take care of him, please." A mischievous smile appeared on her face. "He's a handful, I know. Always has been. At least you'll never lack entertainment."

            Phoebe grinned. Elizabeth was the last thing that Phoebe would imagine a demon to be like. "I will," she said.

            "Thanks," Elizabeth said gratefully before turning to her husband with a look that showed all the love that she had for him. "Let's go," she said. And with that, the two ghosts vanished.

            Cole smiled down at Phoebe as he felt her take his hand tightly in hers. For the first time in a long time he felt a sense of closure and peace about his family. He had finally reconciled with his family and his past after so many years. With Phoebe at his side, he couldn't ask for anything more.

*~Finis~*           


End file.
